The invention concerns stencils and guides, in general, but more specifically, a guide for quick and easy placement of a pattern onto non-flat surfaces.
According to one particular embodiment of the present invention, a mask or guide is provided which enables one to easily place a pattern, for example, a face, onto the surface of an inflated balloon.
With the guide according to the present invention, one is not limited to a particular shape or size of balloon, in this particular embodiment.
The use of a pattern or stencil to simplify marking of an image onto a surface is well known. Not only does the guide make it easier for the image to be applied--it also allows for the operation to be repeated a number of times with a plurality of the surfaces, each time providing an image that is of uniform quality from piece to piece.
Stencils or templates are useful in the academic world as well as the commercial and business world. They are used to place images on paper, cardboard and other paper products, both flat and shaped. For example, paper cups as well as paper signs are employed as surfaces for the placement of images by means of a guide or stencil. They are used with sheet metal and pipes, among other metal goods, when markings have to be applied onto surfaces, both in the manufacturing stages and in the finishing stages, as well as with finished goods. Plastics, wood products, stone and composite materials, such as for example plaster of Paris or cement, rubber goods, textile fabrics, synthetic fabrics, in short, any physically solid material of which goods are made, are used with stencils or guides when the placement of an image upon a surfaces is desired.
Most commonly, stencils or patterns are employed with flat surfaces, such as for example the well-known cardboard stencil used by students, artists and secretaries for lettering, or the likewise well-known paper patterns for the making of clothing. It is a major problem with the use of most common guides such as these that they cannot be used to mark patterns or lettering on non-flat surfaces, or if they can, it is only with a great deal of difficulty. They guides that are made of non-flexible materials, such as for example the well-known 12-inch rulers with lettering patterns punched out, which are usually made of wood or plastic, clearly could not be used to apply letters to an iron pipe or a latex balloon without a great deal of difficulty.
Another disadvantage of the known guides and stencils is the fact that one is limited to the sizes, shapes or images provided by the manufacturers. Using lettering stencils as an example, it might not be easy to locate a stencil for, let us say, italicized gothic style Russian. Were a stencil or guide available that allowed one to cut out any desired shape or image, then it would be limited in use to the chosen shape or image. Except to the extent that a further shape or image could be cut out from the unused portions of the stencil, one shape or image per stencil would be the general limitation. One could not use the same area of a stencil for a different shape or image again and again and again.